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lou sansone
06-14-2006, 6:48 PM
good evening ww's
I just finished this piece and thought that some would enjoy seeing it.
It is your garden variety tall case clock (95" tall ) from ~ c1775. It is based upon a number of published examples in A. Sack and others. I took some liberty to respectfully blend some of the Connecticut style nuances into it. The rosettes are pretty typical of Connecticut, as it the pronounced pediment. The quarter columns are typical of mid Atlantic states, but Connecticut clock makers also made use of them. The Hood is removable ( for those not familiar with true tall case clocks, the hood always slides off for service and moving the clock ). The fluted columns are also tapered which does make for some interesting fixturing. I cheat and do the whole column as one piece instead of the traditional 3 piece style. The dial is a custom painted dial based upon examples from john Roby's book pp 556. It has working date and lunar calender rings as well as time.
The works are exact copies of 18th century American tall case clock works. Wood is cherry, dyed and French polished. Clock runs great which is an added bonus.

enjoy
Lou

lou sansone
06-14-2006, 6:49 PM
few more details

Ken Shoemaker
06-14-2006, 6:52 PM
Fantasik work!!! I love those clocks. I made on as my first project, certinly not as complexed, so I can appreciate he effort. Fit and finish is outstanding..... Welll Done.

Thanks for letting me see it.

tod evans
06-14-2006, 6:58 PM
very nice lou! love the flames...tod

JIm McMullen
06-14-2006, 6:59 PM
Masterful Work, Lou. That is a piece to be proud of that's for sure! Jim

glenn bradley
06-14-2006, 7:00 PM
Did I get to say WOW first this time? Very nice. Love the whole look and feel of the piece.

lou sansone
06-14-2006, 7:04 PM
a few more photos

Mark Pruitt
06-14-2006, 7:05 PM
Beautiful clock Lou!

Vaughn McMillan
06-14-2006, 7:06 PM
That's gorgeous, Lou. Just goes to show you not only know how to find and restore good tools, you know how to use them, too. I agree with Tod...I really like the flame finials (or whatever they'd be called). Bravo!

- Vaughn

Ken Fitzgerald
06-14-2006, 7:07 PM
Simply exquisite Lou! Unbelieveably beautiful work!

Corvin Alstot
06-14-2006, 7:54 PM
Lou/ Love the wood, fluted columns and custom dial. The project looks like it took some TIME!
Beautiful finials - are these hand made? Awesome.

Best,
Corvin

Rob Russell
06-14-2006, 8:16 PM
Stunning Lou - just stunning!

Richard Wolf
06-14-2006, 8:17 PM
Great work Lou, beautiful details.

Richard

Todd Davidson
06-14-2006, 8:20 PM
Bravo Lou! That is gorgeous!

David Duke
06-14-2006, 8:20 PM
Unbelievable beautiful work Lou, your attention to detail is quite obvious!!

Jim Becker
06-14-2006, 8:39 PM
It is your garden variety tall case clock
'Never found one of those growing in MY garden, Lou!! :D

Beautiful work!! Outstanding! The carving is wonderful, too.

Dave Malen
06-14-2006, 8:49 PM
Lou
Beautifully done. Carving the flames must have been fun! Your skill is impressive. Thanks for posting.

Dave

Alan Tolchinsky
06-14-2006, 8:58 PM
Lou you have done a masterful job on that clock. The finish is beautiful as is the rest of the clock. Thanks for sharing. Alan in Md.

Dave Ray
06-14-2006, 9:12 PM
Lou, what a beautiful way to look at time. MAGNIFICENT!

Bruce Page
06-14-2006, 9:34 PM
Lou, what a superb piece of craftsmanship! The painted dial is exquisite! Did you do the carving also? How much time do you have in it?

Frankie Hunt
06-14-2006, 10:13 PM
Wonderful work!

Bob Winkler
06-15-2006, 9:57 AM
Beautiful work Lou. The time spent was well worth it. I too love the hand carved flames.

Bob

Bob Childress
06-15-2006, 10:05 AM
And that dosesn't happen too often. But the clock is magnificent. Great work Lou.

Carl Eyman
06-15-2006, 10:07 AM
Lou, magnificent, but then we've come to expect that from you and your shop. Get it off the FWW it belongs wit Alan's desk and other masterpieces.

Alex Berkovsky
06-15-2006, 10:46 AM
Lou,
All I can say is WOW!!! <picking up my lower jaw off the floor>
I heard these type of clock movement are very expensive - in the $700 range.

Martin Shupe
06-15-2006, 10:53 AM
WOW! Very nice clock, Lou! Yes, send pics to FWW!

Roy Wall
06-15-2006, 10:58 AM
Lou,

I've looked at this for a full 20 hours now........

I LIKE IT!!

YOU are a skilled craftsman and it shows! your carvings are beautiful.....

questions:

How much taper is in the columns and is the fluting a uniform width?

Do you break a project like this into 3 parts....mill, join, assemble each section and then go to the next?

The two "flower like" cylindrical carvings at the top - are these one solid piece (each).....?......or do you carve the pedals on a thinner piece and attach?

Process for making the large cove molding?

What type of joinery did you use to attach the carcasses?

I agree with Carl E. - it's FWW all the way (whether or not you send it in..):)

Gail O'Rourke
06-15-2006, 11:16 AM
Gorgeous clock - awesome project. Timeless...no pun intended.

Kent Parker
06-15-2006, 11:25 AM
Beautiful work Lou. Lots of great detail.

Thanks for keeping the arts alive!!

Cheers,

Kent

Kyle Stiefel
06-15-2006, 11:53 AM
Lou,

Your attention to detail is exacting. I enjoy that you base it to your area with time correctness. You sure know how to use all that iron you have.

Jim W. White
06-15-2006, 12:43 PM
Just phenomenal! ...more detals please. Did you do all the carving ...how about the hand painted face, is that your work also or did you contract it out.

Does your wife get to keep this or did you build this for someone else?

Some of this is just being nosy, but I'm curious ...if I ever built something like that, I don't think I could give it away at any cost.

Dave Anderson NH
06-15-2006, 1:02 PM
Truly an outstanding piece Lou. I'm sure you chose cherry because of the CT influence. The flame finials on the top of the bonnet are very nicely done and are perfectly proportioned. You know I'm a sucker for period furniture.

lou sansone
06-15-2006, 1:16 PM
hello fellow ww's
thanks for looking and for some of the questions. They are all good ones

1. Carving info.. Yes, I hand carve all the details such as the flames and the rosettes. What I have found is that I first usually try to carve the shape on a scrap piece of wood and see how it comes out. I use Nutting's Furniture treasury ( the smaller book with lots of line drawings) as a good source for examples.

2. pediment info. Pediments are sort of tricky, but not that hard. I always draw full scale and keep checking the shape until it looks right. There are 2 ways to do this type of pediment that contains a rosette at the termination. one way is to include the rosette in it and the other way is to add the rosette shape later on. I learned from Mac Headly @ Williamsburg to keep the rosette shape with the pediment, so that is how I do it. I saw out the goose neck shape and then simply carve out the whole piece by hand. you can cut away some stuff if you want with a router, but you are going to just have to tough it out with good hand chisels.

3. the rosette is carved on another thin section and applied later on. I have found a few original examples that show this, and it is what I used.

4. The tapered columns : they have about a 1/8" taper per foot. I had actually posted some info about this before.


5. The large cove moldings are done on the table saw and then scraped to clean up.

6. the dial is hand painted to my exact requirements based upon known examples ( use Robley's book for lots of examples )

7. I found that the biggest problem with building this clock is having good measurements. Since I always make my own plans from photographs, some of the details are hard to determine. For the hood and dial area, if you are off by 1/16" you will really see it when it is all done.

Would I build another one? Maybe some time down the road.

regards
lou

Larry Fox
06-15-2006, 1:40 PM
WOW, very beautiful Lou. What finish did you use?

Peter Pedisich
06-15-2006, 1:44 PM
Lou,

The clock is stunning, and I like the room it's in. The painted floor is very nice, as is the window trim.

Pete

Christopher Stahl
06-15-2006, 2:15 PM
That's some incredible work Lou. Great job!

Shelley Bolster
06-15-2006, 2:45 PM
Lou, if I, just once, build something that beautiful before I die, I will be happy. Inspirational work!

Brett Baldwin
06-15-2006, 3:31 PM
Very nice piece Lou. It sounds like you put a lot of research time in. The hood details are especially nice.

Calvin Hobbs
06-15-2006, 6:51 PM
Lou,

Great project, very nice work.

My Dad wants us to get together next year to build a period clock... it looks like a great challenge. Of course he wants to do a Southern piece, I waver between the Phila. Chippendale and the Baltimore federal clocks. Your connection to Connecticut makes it that much more meaningful.

I do have a couple of questions:

Where did you purchase your movement and how did you go about using the movement that you ended up with?

What (guesstimates are ok) kind of time do you have in it?

Dimensions?

Is this a personal piece or a commission?

Sorry if you covered any of these before. Challenging period furniture gets me excited. Best piece on SMC in a while, along with the federal card table and Rob M's toolbox.

Again, beautiful work, Cal

John Timberlake
06-15-2006, 9:48 PM
Wonderful. Love the whole thing, but especially like the finials.

Corey Hallagan
06-15-2006, 10:58 PM
Wow! A beautiful clock Lou, simpley gorgeous!

corey

Reg Mitchell
06-16-2006, 2:35 AM
very nice Lou.....a nice warm feeling

lou sansone
06-16-2006, 5:47 AM
here is the link to an earlier post showing how to make tapered fluted columns

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17843

lou

Alan Turner
06-16-2006, 7:37 AM
Great work, Lou. FWW should be in your sights.

Rob Millard
06-18-2006, 7:39 AM
Lou,
Superb job! The carving is excellent; very crisp, and authentic to the period. I’m especially impressed with the color, it looks very natural and will age well. Well done tall case clocks are impressive pieces, and my favorite of period furniture.
Rob Millard

lou sansone
06-19-2006, 12:36 PM
Lou,
Superb job! The carving is excellent; very crisp, and authentic to the period. I’m especially impressed with the color, it looks very natural and will age well. Well done tall case clocks are impressive pieces, and my favorite of period furniture.
Rob Millard



thanks rob... I was waiting for you to weigh in.. It is not perfect by any stretch, but in the end I was pleased with the results.


for those who asked how many hours into this piece I would have to estimate between 500 and 600. Probably way too long if I was going to make a living, but much of it was spent mulling over all the dimensions and such because I had to make my own plans from photos.

lou

Rich Torino
06-19-2006, 1:13 PM
Really great work Lou, fantastic details

Rich Torino
06-19-2006, 1:14 PM
Really great work Lou, fantastic details

Sam Blasco
06-19-2006, 1:40 PM
Gorgeous work, Lou. Detail, color, choice of wood -- all excellent.

Jerry Olexa
06-19-2006, 3:59 PM
Lou, that is truly OUTSTANDING work!!!! Very nice work and excellent attention to detail. And french polish to boot...Very nice!

Rob Millard
06-22-2006, 8:32 AM
thanks rob... I was waiting for you to weigh in.. It is not perfect by any stretch, but in the end I was pleased with the results.


for those who asked how many hours into this piece I would have to estimate between 500 and 600. Probably way too long if I was going to make a living, but much of it was spent mulling over all the dimensions and such because I had to make my own plans from photos.

lou



Lou,
I know that situation, my first tall case clock, took me 4-5 weeks to make, with at least the first week, standing around scratching my head, trying to get it in my mind how all the parts interconnected .
Again a great job.
Rob Millard

Rich Konopka
09-07-2006, 9:57 PM
Lou,

Thanks for the pointer. I have been anxiously awaiting the finished project since the last time I saw it. June and July were a blur and I totally missed it. I am amazed at the level of craftsmanship. So the $1,000,000 question is how are you going to top this and challenge yourself?

Cheers,

lou sansone
09-08-2006, 7:06 AM
Lou,

Thanks for the pointer. I have been anxiously awaiting the finished project since the last time I saw it. June and July were a blur and I totally missed it. I am amazed at the level of craftsmanship. So the $1,000,000 question is how are you going to top this and challenge yourself?

Cheers,

I will be building some form of high style secretary in the future. I would like to have it incorporate some shell carving, along the line of the Goddard style, but with stronger Connecticut roots ( that's right guys, Connecticut made many shell style carved pieces, not just those RI boys)

Ben Abate
09-08-2006, 8:13 AM
Hi Lou,

Nice job, I believe you were working on that when I was at your home a while back. Nice to see you finished it. I believe at that point you were carving the finials. I also remember the walnut wardrobe that I see in the corner of the picture. You do nice work

Take care
Ben

John Headley
09-08-2006, 9:22 AM
A beautiful display of your craftsmanship, thanks for sharing.

Rich Konopka
09-08-2006, 3:58 PM
I will be building some form of high style secretary in the future. I would like to have it incorporate some shell carving, along the line of the Goddard style, but with stronger Connecticut roots ( that's right guys, Connecticut made many shell style carved pieces, not just those RI boys)
There must be some RI influence. You must live no more than 3-4 miles from the RI border. ;)

lou sansone
12-24-2008, 7:47 AM
Lou,

I've looked at this for a full 20 hours now........

I LIKE IT!!

YOU are a skilled craftsman and it shows! your carvings are beautiful.....

questions:

How much taper is in the columns and is the fluting a uniform width?

Do you break a project like this into 3 parts....mill, join, assemble each section and then go to the next?

The two "flower like" cylindrical carvings at the top - are these one solid piece (each).....?......or do you carve the pedals on a thinner piece and attach?

Process for making the large cove molding?

What type of joinery did you use to attach the carcasses?

I agree with Carl E. - it's FWW all the way (whether or not you send it in..):)


gee... I missed this question

column taper is about 1/8 per foot on the diameter. flutes are not tapered. tricky to do - just make a dividing head for the lathe and try it on scrap pieces

I broke the piece into a couple parts. the base the the bonnet - the bonnet is a pain because of all the close measurements. this one was from photos so I had to do full size drawings to confirm the dimensions

pedals are precarved and attached

Large cove is all done by hand with chisels

trunk of the tall clock is just screwed and glued to the base. bonnet slides on top like usual

Lou